


The start

by Red1945



Series: What it's like to be a he- [1]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Batfamily all the way, Daddy Issues, Depression, Dick is a playboy technically, F/M, Family?, Other, PTSD, There are a lot of warnings, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 14:22:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10743480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red1945/pseuds/Red1945
Summary: There's more to being a hero than just being great. There's always that path someone has to take before becoming great, because before you can learn to fly....you need to know what it's like to fall down. It's not as simple as it looks.





	1. CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Damian always hated it when Father brought his nightly life into his daily one. Using his face as Bruce Wayne in order to cover his actions as Batman. To the paparazzi, his Father was simply enjoying a night out with his son, his new girlfriend, and her niece. But in reality what Father was really doing was keeping a close watch on Ema Wagner, owner of Wagner Corporated that held a partnership with Wayne Industries. Damian respected his Father's skills in acting and manipulation but Damian just wished he was not dragged to such useless get togethers.

Ema Wagner was looking to stay in Gotham for a couple of months to set up more connections but Father was suspicious of further ulterior motives. Damian had no quarrel with the woman; she had quite the class, smooth brown wavy hair tied up in a bun, olive skin and dark eyes. Her dress seemed to be clean too, and emerald wasn’t such a shabby color on the woman; she looked confident, her chin up and she wasn’t afraid to wear the dress she was wearing. 

Damian would not say that he liked her, it was clearly a ruse, but her resolve seemed strong despite sitting face to face across the white Prince of Gotham. She knew how to smile and laugh at the way he talked, clearly with years of practice in front of a mirror. But it was clear even to Damian that this woman was hiding something. 

But dinners with people he did not know were absolutely boring, and Father had banned his use of his cellphone so he had no form of entertainment whatsoever but the bland salad on his plate! And for Father to have him sit across the girl, it was repulsive to say the least!

The girl -Damian could not be bothered to remember her name- was sitting across from him, clearly tapping her shoe under the table like some uncultured swine, her eyes were faced down-no doubt fiddling with something in her fingers. She wore a longsleeved pink turtleneck and a short skirt, she had brown hair tied in a braid that was placed on her shoulder along with a pink headband. She looked silly in that outfit with her posture, no doubt she had her aunt buy all that for her just so she can feel at least a drop of confidence.

She looked to be Damian’s age but clearly much smaller and scrawnier as well, she looked so weak it was pathetic. Despite her pleasant looks, she clearly had no business eating at a high class restaurant such as this one, much less sitting at a table across Damian Wayne.

She was a spoiled and rich snob, clearly. 

“Tt.” Damian jabbed the fork at his salad, wishing his Father hadn’t been so persistent that Robin come along on this mission- but the woman seemed persistent on letting their children meet, and Father thought it was a good idea for Damian to meet someone his age. 

~

 

“I’ve actually bought a property here at Gotham.”

“You did?” Bruce just barely avoided scowling. The woman was sweet, she had a nice smile, and she dressed up rather well. But years of training and practice tells him that this is a ruse that she was feeding him; that soft laugh, how she tries so hard to be gentle and quiet when clearly she isn’t. The woman may look harmless on the outside, but Bruce could imagine a pair of shears buried deep inside her. There was the possibility that she was more than just sponsoring the terrorist group that entered Gotham’s borders, who knows what her real self could be like- and Bruce was not willing to trust her; her voice was smooth, her eyes were relaxed and glittered, she was never stiff as if she was dragging him down into some kind of hypnotic state, pulling him around her finger. 

But Bruce would never fall for such a trick; so far, the woman is clean but she radiated secret, and he was going to find out what that secret is.

He thought of the girl that sat beside the woman, trying her best to make herself small and unnoticed but nervous to be in the presence of such important people. Alexandra Garcia, she was not very known to the press because she always froze up and shut her mouth when they tried to swarm her, she came into America last year because she was adopted by her aunt. But even from afar Bruce could tell that she was innocent -barely older than his own son and she was already caught up in the middle of a crossfire and she didn’t even know it. 

Bruce wondered where she would go when this is all over, but perhaps it would be a better idea to focus at the task at hand than to dwell on the aftermath.

“I bought the property so that my niece here could live in it.” Her words pulled Bruce out of his reverie. “Isn’t that right Alexandra?” Ema trained kind eyes and a smile on the girl, as if she was doing the girl a favor.

Alexandra looked down, “yes Auntie.” How many times has Bruce heard the girl say that?  
Far too many.

“Live in it? What do you mean? You’re moving here in Gotham?” Ema laughed quietly as if it was a joke, “no of course not! Don’t be silly, I’ll be too busy for that. I’ll be visiting her every month but she will be staying with her nanny.” She then turned to look at the girl with pity. “Her mother told me to take care of her you see, I only want what’s best for her. That’s why I want her to go to Gotham Academy now so that she will be able to adjust easily when she gets to high school.”

“She’s only eleven, are you sure leaving her on her own with only a nanny is such a good idea?”

 

The woman took a sip from her glass, “she’s a strong young girl, she will learn easily how to be independent.” Bruce clenches his fists, “I don’t think she needs to learn how to be that independent just yet.” He knows he needs to take action right now, but getting into an argument with Ema will just blow off his entire mission and he’ll lose his chance to get any legal evidence to keep her locked up for a long time no matter how much money she has.

“Like I said, she’s strong. I’m sure she can handle it.”

“When do you plan for her to move?”

“As soon as this school year ends, I will have her take the entrance exam.” Ema shook her head, “that’s enough about that...what about you? Any plans for your little Damian?”

Bruce looked at the little girl once more, frowning as the light shadowed her face.

+

“Alexandra come here.” The woman sat at edge of her own queen sized bed, her brown eyes half-lidded and her smile calm and placid. She was still in the emerald dress but her earrings were on the bed beside her now. 

She lifted her delicate hand and gestured for the girl to sit on her lap. Alexandra complied, shuffling to sit on her Aunt’s lap -Ema carefully untied the braid she made and removed the headband, combing her niece's hair as she untangled the knots. “You know you have such nice hair. You must always take care of it.” 

“Yes Auntie….”

They sit quietly in silence for a moment as Ema undoes the brown locks before the woman slides a small envelope on her niece's lap. “Open it now would you dear.” Alexandra didn’t bother nodding as she slid the paper out of the envelope. The characters and numbers stared back at her, dangerously low. 

“Now I know you’re still adjusting to a private school’s standards, but I need you to pull up your grades. I’ll have to say that I’m quite disappointed but let’s not lose hope. I will speak with your teacher if he could give you remedial classes before finals. I need you to pass Gotham Academy’s entrance exams, okay?” Her voice was smooth, careful and gentle, enrapturing as if to hide the meaning of her words. “The sooner you get out of that dreaded public school, the better.”

Alexandra clenched her small fists. “But- Auntie. I know that my grades are low now, I can bring them up. But you have to let me stay there for just one more-” The girl felt familiar hands clench down on her hair, pulling her head back to look Ema in her cold shadowed eyes. .

“Shut your mouth. It’s already difficult to raise such an unruly child properly, you should be thankful that I put you in school at all. Do you think money grows on trees? I already bought the property and now all I need you to do is pass that entrance exam. Your mother raised such a rowdy daughter, it’s rather vexing. You’re lucky I picked you up out of all the little girls out there, but I’m not raising a failure. Do you see the amount of money I spend just to give you food on the table and this is the thanks I get? Well the money is certainly not a dent in my purse but I own you. So it’s either you do as I say and pass that exam or I throw you back out there with the trash you belong with do you understand?” 

Alexandra’s hair was a mess now, her face was red from the way her Auntie shook her head up and down and the girl had small droplets of tears in her eyes now as she reached towards her head to scratch at her Aunt’s fingers. “I-I’m sorry A-Auntie. I-I was being selfish.” The woman clenched her fingers around her Niece’s skull once more as the girl whimpered quietly and pushed the girl out of her lap. 

The girl fell on the ground, her back towards her Aunt, her head down and hair over her eyes. Ema raised her chin up higher, “now then- you listen to me.” Her voice was no longer cold and commanding, but returned to the smooth and kind tone she always wore. “You’re just an idiotic child, you don’t know anything about this world. Or about your own future. But I know what’s best for you. You’re going to take over my company when I’m dead, I have it all planned out for you and you will never end up like your dreadful mother.”

“Yes Auntie….”

Ema smiled kindly once again, “ooh...come here baby…” The girl crawled on her Auntie’s lap once again and the woman resumed combing her Niece’s hair like nothing happened. “...Have I ever told you how nice your hair is. It’s lovely. You should always take good care of it okay?”

“....yes Auntie.”


	2. CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

A week has passed since his last date with Ema Wagner, she had to head back to New York, promising to meet with Bruce again as soon as she could. He needed to complete this mission, and fast, the terrorist are bound to move soon and he needed to know their location. 

The mission was pushed to the back of his head, and the man concentrated on a much more important matter. His son. Damian was an 11 year old prodigy according to his teachers, the boy had quickly accelerated to a grade level higher but none the less the child had easily adjusted to the lessons. 

Dick was unable to pick Damian up from school today, and since Bruce was seemingly on his way home from work there seemed to be no problem in picking his own son up from school. 

He was just on time when he got to the large academy. Students were just beginning to flow out of the three doorways and walking in clusters and pairs towards whatever after school activity they had planned. Parents and caretakers walked out of their cars and towards the younger children so Bruce ought to walk out of his own as well to seek his son, it wasn't like the man was in hurry for the time being anyway. 

As Bruce walked towards the doors, he spotted Damian walking as his red-headed friend ran away waving. “Father. Good afternoon. I was not expecting for you to have picked me up. Is Pennyworth unable to perform his duties.” The boy inclined his head slightly, his eyebrows slightly raised and his voice as nonchalant as ever. 

Bruce shook his head, “No it's not that son. I simply have had the free time to come and pick you up on the way home. Let's go.” 

But before Bruce could turn around his eyes fell on a student sitting on the edge of a staircase listening to music on her ipod. “Alexandra?” The girl looked up and removed her earphones, she smiled. “Oh hi Mister Wayne.” 

“What are you doing here?” He inquired out of curiosity. She stood, “I'm just waiting for the maid to come pick me up.” 

“You've already moved in?” He asked, scrutinising the girl in secret form head to toe. She was dressed in the typical uniform but her blouse was much more wrinkled compared to the other girl’s and she wore her skirt much lower and longer as well. She nodded, “just last week actually.” 

“I see. Would you like a ride home instead? The sky looks as if it might rain in a few minutes.” The girl smiled a little at the man’s consideration. “I'll be fine Mister Wayne, thanks. There's a roof over here anyways and I'm sure my maid will be here in a few minutes.” 

The man smiled back, “Alright. It was good to see you again.”

“um, you too Mister Wayne.” With that, Bruce Wayne and his son Damian left the girl to return to her own little world on the stairs. 

+

Two hours had passed and the rain was pouring heavily now, the sky was dark and black and the water was pouring over the rooftop of the school. 

The girl was still sitting on the stairs of the school grounds, still listening to music wondering if her nanny had forgotten to pick her up. No longer were there students that walked around the school boundaries to go home, the girl was completely alone aside from the janitor inside the building locking up the gates. 

She sighed, staring at her phone and the several missed calls she made to her nanny. The girl eyed the janitor as he gestured for her to get out before he locked her up inside the school, so without further ado, she wore her envelope over head head and began running out of the school yard.

She decided to walk home, she had no umbrella and no ride. Now she wished that she had taken Mister Wayne up on that offer despite the awkward silence she would have to endure but it beats walking alone in the rain. 

Water beat against her back, pounding on the floors and shattering on the window panes she passed by. Her socks were uncomfortably wet but she decided not to run with fear of tripping and making matters much worse. Stepping on puddles were much worse than simply walking, the water would enter her shoes and she could do nothing to take it out. 

She passed by a warm cafe, where people were talking on the other side of the window pane. One of the women inside glanced at her, she had long blonde hair and a purple v-neck shirt. She was pretty, but she looked a little shocked that a student from Gotham Academy would be walking home in the rain all alone. 

Nonetheless, Alexandra kept walking, now clutching her envelope as she paced through the streets in hopes of making it home alive in one piece. 

-

Batman and Robin stood on a rooftop in the rain, looming over Gotham city and discussing the case they had just closed. “I believe so too, Father.” 

“Your Detective skills are steadily improving Robin, although it requires more insight.” 

“I see, I will assure you that I shall improve my skills Father.” 

It was then that they heard an all too familiar Gotham accent yelling, “what's a pretty girl like you doing all the way out here?” It was such a cliché thing to say for a mugger or a rapist, and a dead giveaway. Do this imbeciles want to get beaten up?

Batman and Robin swooped in easily and once again saved an innocent life from being tainted. 

When Robin finished the last of them off, he grinned a cat like grin and dusted his fingers against his pants after cuffing them, inclining his head. “I suppose you will think twice before screeching your thoughts outlook so that half the world may hear you?” 

Damian turned to his left and found a large pink bag covered in mud and first leaning on a wall on a small puddle and moved to pick the dripping thing up. It's a shame such an expensive looking bag must be soiled but perhaps the contents must be important. He moved to return the backpack to the owner, who seemed to be a dwarf standing baffled in the shadows.

But as Damian neared the shadow, the light began to hit his eyes and he raised an eyebrow under his mask at the identity of the figure. 

It was the girl, Alexandra was it? 

She was standing there, looking dumbfounded like the idiot that she was, watching as Batman moved towards her as well and behind Robin. “Well?” Robin was impatient now as he shook the hand that held the bag. 

The girl nodded slowly, pulling the bag from his gloved fingers and placing it over her bag. “Th-thanks.” She squeaked dumbly.

Damian did not notice the frown under his Father's cowl at the girl's identity, but Batman nodded nonetheless and pulled out his grapple to head to the rooftops. No doubt with the idea of following her in his mind. 

“I suggest you bring an umbrella the next time you decide to walk home alone.” With that, Robin shot up into the sky.

Staring up at the red and blackness of the sky, the rain poured down on her face and dripped down her cheeks, she grinned slightly to herself clutching her bag close to her chest and dialing a quick call to the police.


End file.
